


The Polar Express

by CrowKing



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Long One Shot, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 07:04:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13141542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrowKing/pseuds/CrowKing
Summary: You are the godmother of Clint and Laura's youngest daughter, Natasha Barton. You wanted to make Christmas memories with her, so you plan a trip to the Polar Express. You're very excited about this trip until you find out that Clint and Laura also want Nat's godfather to go.You are introduced to Loki, evil mastermind behind the Incident and Natasha's godfather.





	The Polar Express

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't planning to write this one. Actually, I came up with it and ran with it. Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Laura Barton wasn’t you real sister, but ever since high school where she was the studious, top ten senior and you were the bubbly freshman, you two were inseparable. Her youngest daughter, Natasha, wriggled in your lap as you talked to Laura in the new Avengers campus.

“I’ve missed you so much!” you kissed her cheek. Her brown curls bounced with her. She giggled and curled into you. As her godmother, you made sure that you were present and active in her life. Little Natasha was very important to you which is why you decided to spend Christmas with the Barton family this year.

“Thank you so much for coming again,” Laura gave you a grateful smile. “With Clint training new recruits, I didn’t think I could take this all on by myself.” You knew who Clint Barton really was. You knew exactly where you were. The Avengers Facility in New York was comfortable and newly designed, but you had to admit meeting the other Avengers was a little intimidating.

“Oh no, thank you for inviting me,” you squeezed Natasha. She responded by giving you a big smile. “She’s my favorite.”

“I know she is,” Laura nodded. “She couldn’t wait to see you. Besides, I think starting a Christmas tradition with her godmother is good for her.” 

“I think so too. As soon as I heard about the Polar Express in New York City, I knew Natasha and I should go.” Christmas was your favorite holiday and you wanted to share that love with Natasha. The Polar Express Train Ride was just the perfect thing for the both of you to enjoy together. 

Laura walked you and little Natasha over to the living room area where you saw Clint speaking with a tall, black-haired man wearing formal clothing. He turned his face and you immediately recognized his green eyes.

Loki.

“Wait, Laura, hold on,” you almost said all at once. “That’s him.”

“Yes, I know, Y/N,” Laura responded. “Listen, there’s something you should know before—

“Hey!” you called out to him. Clint and Loki turned around. Loki wrinkled his nose at you, but Clint was all hugs.

“Y/N! Look at you! You look—

“You!” you pointed at Loki, pushing past Clint. “You’re responsible for New York.”

“Ah, another fan,” Loki smirked. You crossed your arms and stared him down.  
“If you tink I’m a fan of yours, you’ve got another thing coming,” you looked at Clint. “What’s he doing here? Isn’t he a criminal?”

“Not anymore,” Clint smiled at Loki. “With the permission of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury, Thor and others, Loki is being rehabilitated to be a productive member of the Avengers. He’s on our side now.” Loki smugly smiled down at you, but you still wouldn’t trust Clint’s words. 

“Well, we have places to be, right Natasha?” you looked down to where she was, and she was gone from your side. Your eyes went down to see little Natasha at Loki’s leg. She tugged at his pants.

“Loki, up up!” she said to him. He warmly smiled and picked her up, holding her at his hip.

“What?” you responded. “What is happening?” You turned to see Laura with her face in her hands.

“Loki is Natasha’s godfather,” Clint smiled. Laura groaned and spoke a few quiet words into Clint’s ear. His smiled faded into a frown and he turned to his wife. He mumbled, but you could make out, “What do you mean she didn’t know?”

You turned to see your goddaughter playing with Loki’s long hair. She giggled with him and he looked like he genuinely enjoyed her company. You, on the other hand, were furious. You took your friends aside.

“What is this? Is this some joke?” you waved your arms around.

“I thought you knew!” Clint defended himself. 

“Y/N, I was going to tell you when the time was right,” Laura interjected.

“Now is a great time,” you pointed to your imaginary watch. Clint sighed.

“When Thor brought him here I felt the same way,” Clint started to explain. “After all, he manipulated me. Then I saw all the good he could do for us. How powerful he really is, and Thor assured me over and over again. It took a lot of convincing, but when Natasha was born it just seemed right.

“Laura was not on board at first either, but then she saw him with her. Holding her, helping her sleep, teaching her right from wrong. Loki is a much better being than most people take him as,” Clint looked back over to Loki and Natasha. He still held her while talking to her and wiggling her nose. “I didn’t want him to miss out on such a great Christmas tradition with you guys.”

“He’s coming with us?!” you exclaimed. “You’re kidding me right? Please tell me you’re kidding.” Clint and Laura almost cringed, but said nothing. You groaned into the air. You wanted to punch them both, but you didn’t feel like wasting your energy.

The next thing you knew you, Natasha, and Loki were dropped off in New York City with Laura leaving you with Natasha’s ‘handybag’. It contained all of her essentials: an extra set of pajamas, snacks, drinks, her favorite toy, and other items Laura knew she would need.

You swung the bag over your shoulder, and glanced over at Loki and Natasha. Loki pointed at different objects and Natasha identified them. It still baffled you that Clint and Laura named him, a mass murder and evil mastermind, as Nat’s godfather. 

“Look, I know this isn’t ideal,” Laura sighed. 

“Ya think?” you reacted. “Laura why? Just tell me why. What made you think this was a good idea?”

“We wanted godparents for her, and Clint was in a forgiving mood. Yes, he was manipulated and used, but he wanted to be the one to step forward and give Loki the chance he deserved. And after seeing them both together, I had to admit Clint was right. Second chances are possible. Besides, look at Natasha.”

You looked over to the pair again. Natasha was wiggling in his arms while Loki tried to fix her coat, and then her hat, and then her gloves, making sure she was head to toe covered. You had to admit you felt a slight pang of jealousy that Natasha loved her paternal godparent as much as she loved you.

“She’s so happy with him,” Laura said. “Do this one evening for her, okay? Please?” You couldn’t refuse your high school best friend. You sighed and nodded your head.

“I’ll do my best. Now go back home, ok?” 

“Call me if something goes wrong,” Laura left you three by yourselves in the middle of New York City. Laura was right. This wasn’t ideal. You couldn’t go through this evening in silence. You had to communicate with the god of lies.

“So, I was thinking we could take this street right here and walk there for about four blocks. We’ll get there right on time,” you showed him Google maps on your phone.

“Oh, we’re talking now?” he said. You glared at him.

“Yes, we’re talking now.”

“How wonderful, I’ll inform Laura and Clint. I’m sure they’ll be thrilled of our new friendship.”

“We’re not friends.”

“Careful, the little one is listening,” Loki’s eyes pointed downwards to Natasha who was, in fact, listening to you.

“You don’t like Loki?” she asked.

“No! That’s not true. We’re friends!” you grabbed Loki and pulled him closer to you. “See? Friends.” Natasha smiled, satisfied with what she’s seeing.

“Now, we don’t have to walk all that way,” Loki said. “I could teleport us there, and we could be there much earlier.

“You could wha—

Green magic surrounded all three of you. Terrified of what he was doing, you grabbed Natasha and brought her close to you. You wrapped her in your arms, hoping she wouldn’t cry because of the sudden surprise. Natasha started to giggle and her hands grabbed the green air, trying to grab onto the magic itself. The green air disappeared as quickly as it came. 

The Polar Express event was crowded with families and friends alike. The area was filled with Christmas themed activities and refreshments. The train itself was steaming from the top and had hand-lettered ‘The Polar Express’ in gold. The red siding was decorated with gold trimmings and you could see the inside. It had comfortable seating and some families already sat inside.

“Loki!” you said. “What the hell was that?” You turned to him to see he changed into more casual clothing. He had jeans, and a sweater peeking through a slim winter jacket. His hair was tied back in bun.

“Magic,” he rolled his eyes. “We should check in early, so we can settle her in.” Loki started to walk towards the check in booth.

“Oh no, you’re going to get away with this. What were you thinking? You could’ve hurt her!”

“But I didn’t.”

“You could’ve brought unwanted attention.”

“But I didn’t,” Loki kept walking to the booth.

“Are you kidding me? You can’t just do magic and—

“Will you stop and look at Natasha for a second?” Loki gestured to Nat. Her eyes were wide and looking at the train. Her breathing was steady, and her smile lit up her face like a Christmas tree. Her hand was loose in Loki’s hand. She leaned towards the train. She was just fine. “You’re making mountains out of molehills. You don’t have to like me, but will you at least make this a good time for her?”

Loki was right. Laura did ask you that, and you were making mountains out of molehills. Natasha was fine. If anything, she was in holiday euphoria. You closed your mouth and checked in with your tickets. With the extra time, Loki and you worked in mostly silence to settle in your train seats. 

They were comfortable to say the least. They had the exact colors from the movie, and tables in between them. Loki let you and Natasha sit next to each other while he sat by himself on the other side. Natasha was comfy in her new Christmas pajamas, and she tapped on the glass windows. 

“Good evening,” a server came by your table. “My name is Mary, what can I get you tonight?”

“Coffee will be fine, and a hot chocolate for her,” you said. 

“I’ll take the same,” Loki said, waving the server off. You rolled your eyes. He may have been actual royalty. He may have been an actual god, but his treatment of other people disgusted you. 

“Loki! Can you make it snow?” Natasha asked. She was bouncing up and down in her seat. Loki chuckled. 

“As long as it’s alright with Y/N,” he looked to you for permission. Natasha turned to you an tugged at your sweater sleeve for a moment. 

“Please? Please please?” she asked. You nodded in hesitation. Natasha looked up and grabbed at the snow that was falling just over your seats. It touched your face, and it felt cold.

This was real snow.

It gently fell over your hair and face. Natasha grabbed at it and held her hands out in front of her. Loki smiled at little Nat enjoying her happiness. He adored her. It was endearing to see a man care so much for someone so little. Your mind flashed back to the Avengers facility when Nat grabbed onto his leg. She must feel so safe next to him. Perhaps he couldn’t be as bad as you were making him out to be.

“So, when did they tell you that you were a godfather?” you asked, trying to break the continuing awkward silence. Loki shifted in his seat.

“When she was around seven months old,” he answered. “Clint sat me down and told me about his faith in second chances. Thor and he agreed that being her godfather, someone to guide her in morality and wisdom, would be good for me. I have to agree. She’s changed a lot of things about me.” Loki looked on lovingly to his goddaughter.

“The train will leave in five minutes!” A worker said. “Five minutes!” A server came by to drop off your coffee.

“Oh, and we had a hot chocolate,” you mentioned.

“I know,’ the server smiled. “Her hot chocolate is a part of the show.” You sat back slightly curious and excited. 

“What about you?” Loki asked, sipping his warm coffee. 

“Oh, well. Nothing special really. I was there when Laura had her, and she named me godmother on the spot.” Loki’s face looked discouraged. You started to stammer. “Well, I mean I’ve known Laura much longer than you have known them. I didn’t mean—

“Oh, I knew what you mean by that,” Loki stopped the illusion and narrowed his eyebrows. There he was. The man you knew him as. The nasty, impulsive man. He crossed his arms in the seat and glared at you. Maybe you were right. Maybe he just cared about making Nat happy and nothing more. He only served his own needs.

Lights blinked on and off to signal that the show was starting soon. Natasha cuddled up to your lap where she looked towards the doors and waited. Colored lights started to fade on the ceiling of the train. As soon everyone was seated, the train left the station. 

A drum beat started mimicking the beat of the train. Then, actors came out and sang a welcome song to the Polar Express. Then, the conductor came up to Natasha.

“Hello, Natasha,” he greeted with a large smile. Natasha gasped.

“You know my name?” she asked. The conductor nodded and took her ticket. He then punched holes in her ticket so quickly, you wondered if he was Tom Hanks himself. You saw her golden ticket had a single letter in it. 

“V?” you said out loud. “I wonder what your word will be.” You squeezed her sides again, and she let out a laugh. Her eyes were mainly on her ticket.

“Her word?” Loki asked in a aggressively bored tone.

“Now, who’s giving her a bad time?” you snapped back. “In the movie, each child character has a train ticket where they get a word punched into their ticket. Usually the word teaches them a lesson about Christmas.” Loki nodded.

“I understand now,” Loki looked to Nat. “What do you think your word will be?” Nat thought for a moment and gasped.

“Hot chocolate!” she shrieked. Loki laughed. His chuckle was dark, but his green eyes said it all. You found yourself lingering before you knew it.

“Silly girl, there’s no ‘v’ in hot chocolate,” Loki’s laughter continued and you found yourself smiling with him.

“No! Hot chocolate!” Nat pointed out actors coming in with trays filled with golden cups and pitchers. One actors spun around and skillfully set down a golden mug just for Nat. The hot, steaming chocolate poured into the mug and whipped cream went in endless circles until it looked perfect.

Suddenly, you and Loki wondered why you even ordered coffee in the first place.

“That looks delicious,” Loki stared at it. “What is it?”

“You don’t have hot chocolate where you’re from?” Loki shook his head and leaned forward to investigate the drink more. “It’s not dangerous you know. It’s warmed milk with chocolate mixed in.”

You watched Loki copy the drink for himself, and he took a taste. His eyes closed and he let out a low hum. “You should really try this,” he said, and he slid the drink to you. Nat was already drinking hers. You wanted to second guess this kind gesture, but you couldn’t come up with a good reason. 

You took a sip, and you regretted your coffee immediately. The smooth rich chocolate slid down your throat and warmed your stomach. “Wow.”

“I know,” Loki smiled. “I wish I had known about this before. I’m starting to believe you Midgardians are not as useless as I thought.” You half-laughed at his joke, thinking back to the Incident when he almost took over.

Soon, more characters came out and reenacted some scenes from the Polar Express. Natasha enjoyed every minute of it. You watched her eyes widen, and her whole body bounce up and down. She spoke and interacted with the characters.

“Are you having fun?” you asked her.

“Yes!” both of her arms swung into the air. Loki and you shared another laugh. This time he noticed and gave you a half-smile.

The conductor came out onto your car and announced that they will be arriving at the North Pole soon. More actors staged themselves with families. Each of them had the book in their hands. Natasha cuddled into your arms, and you looked over at Loki who looked on slightly dejected.

“Nattie,” you nudged her. She looked up to you. “Why don’t you go sit with Loki?” Loki looked at you, confused. Nat leaped from your lap and quickly climbed into Loki’s. He wrapped his arms around her and the actor began to read the story. 

Natasha rested her little head against Loki’s chest. He petted her brown curls gently, and allowed himself to relax. Again, you found yourself lingering. You were about to look away until you saw Loki looking back at you.

‘Thank you,” he mouthed. You nodded your head. Loki was her godfather too. He deserved to have little moments like this, right? As soon as they finished the book, the train stopped. Natasha looked up to Loki in excitement. He let her go, and she put her face against the glass window.

“It’s the North Pole!” she gleefully shouted. Other children put their faces against the window too, enjoying the view. The whole place was lit by Christmas lights and lampposts. You could see a Santa’s workshop along with several booths filled with cookies, prizes, and one large sleigh with eight reindeer attached to it. Loki looked on mostly confused. 

“Is this your first Christmas?” you asked him. Natasha dragged both of you out of your seats and towards the exit.

“No, but I still don’t understand many of your traditions,’ he admitted. “Particularly the legend of Santa Claus.” He lowered his voice in a whisper. 

“Later,’ you patted his back. “I can explain that one later.” As soon as you all stepped off the train, Natasha took off like a bullet towards Santa Claus who sat in the giant red sleigh, his bag filled with toys. Loki and you chased after and attempted to catch her, but it was too late. She stood in line away from you both, waiting to see Santa without her jacket.

Loki sighed. “Well, at least we tried.”

“You said it,” you added. Loki stepped closer to you.

“I wanted to thank you again for what you did back there,” he told you. “That was very generous of you, but may I ask why you did it?”

“You were right,” you said. “We both want Natasha to have a good time, but we both want to create memories with her. You’re her godparent too. I can’t have her all to myself. That just wouldn’t be fair to you, and I promised Laura that I would try to be nice. So there.” You shrugged, hoping that would be a good enough explanation. Loki gave you another half-smile.

“Thank you,” he said. “It meant a lot to me.” 

“You’re welcome,’ you shifted your body back and forth. You felt a shiver grow up your spine and your body shook vigorously.

“Are you cold?” Loki asked. You waved him off.

“No, I’m fine,” you said, but Loki didn’t listen. He put his jacket over you and rubbed your back. 

“Why is it that Midgardian women get so cold? Do you all have an affliction against colder weather?” 

“Yes and no,” you chuckled. “We love colder weather because of all the activities that come with it, but we hate dealing with the actual weather.”  
“That makes zero sense,” Loki laughed. “What about this legend of Santa?” You turned towards him and leaved forward.

“Oh! So, it actually goes back to a man named St, Nicholas—

Natasha runs up to both of you, holding up her silver sleigh bell. “Look! Look! Look!”

Both of you bend down to her level and examine her new gift.

“It’s beautiful, Nat,” you told her. “Now, what does it mean?”

“That I promise to always and forever believe in Santa,” she proudly said. 

“Right, because?” you led her on.

“Because believing is seeing,” she smiled. “Believing is important.” Loki nodded sharply.

“That’s right. And what did you ask Santa for this year?” Loki asked. 

“I want a bow like Daddy has,” Natasha said completely deadpan. Loki and you shared a look. 

“We’ll see what we can do about that,” Loki picked her up. “So, what do we do next, little one?” The rest of evening Loki, Nat, and you spent time playing games, riding candy cane slides, and even making an ornament to take home. You noticed Loki’s lingering looks as much as he noticed yours.

Nat placed herself in between both of you and held your hands as if you two were her true parents. You both swung her back and forth and watched her giggle as she flew into the air. You wondered for a moment if this is what it would be like if you married Loki and had a child.

You brushed that thought away before he could notice.

Soon, the conductor was calling for the final “all aboard”, and Loki, Nat and you returned to your seats. Nat wanted to sit next to both of you. So, you all squeezed into one side of the booth. Exhausted from all the fun she had, Nat drifted off to sleep. Her body curled up into Loki’s arms. He petted her head once again, but this time you watched small green sparks fly around her head.

“It’s a sleep spell,” Loki explained. “I noticed lately that she has trouble sleeping, so this is how I get her to stay asleep.”

“That’s…actually really thought of you,” you said. Mary, your server, was handing out checks when she came to your table. 

“Hi guys, thank you so much for coming,” she whispered. “Here’s the check. Aw! Is she all tuckered out?” Both of you nodded. She placed the check down on the table. The conductor came up to the table as well. Noticing the tired little one, you handed Nat’s ticket to the conductor. He started to punch the ticket.

“Thank you,” Loki said and then he turned to you. “I’ll take care of it. You bought the tickets.” Mary took Loki’s card and the check.

“I’m sorry,” she smiled. “Can I just say that your daughter is the cutest girl I’ve seen tonight? She really warmed my heart. You both are wonderful parents for raising such a kind girl.” You felt red rush to your cheeks faster than you ever did before.

“She’s not—We’re not—I—uhm,” you stammered out.

“W-we’re not together,” Loki tried to explain. “She’s our goddaughter.” Mary’s hands went to her mouth.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” she immediately apologized. “You guys just look so perfect together, you know? Like a happy family. But I’m so sorry for assuming.” Mary walked away, cringing to herself. The conductor smiled at you both shamelessly and handed you back Nat’s ticket. You read the word “love”. Loki and you didn’t look or speak to each other for a solid minute until he broke the silence.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I would understand if your boyfriend is angry or anything.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” you told him.

“Oh,” Loki reacted.

“Oh? What’s that supposed to mean?” you turned to him.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Loki shook his head. “I just mean that’s very surprising. You have you life together, you’re kind, and wonderful company. You’re also very attractive,” Loki trailed off. You felt your heart beating faster, and you couldn’t find the correct words to respond to that. You looked to see Nat still sleeping on him.

“You really do love her, don’t you?” you asked, changing the subject.

“I do,” Loki nodded. “If I am going to change it will be for her. She’s so small and innocent. I wish she could stay this way.” He petted her head again. His fingers untangled her curls. By the time the train stopped and you both exited the train, you felt sad that this was all over with. 

“Loki, I just want to thank you for a good time,” you shifted Nat’s bag on your shoulder. 

“Likewise,” Loki responded and handed you a sleeping Nat. You held onto her while Loki teleported both of you again to the front of the Avengers Facility. “Don’t tell Laura we did that. She doesn’t like it when I teleport her children either.”

You half-laughed and nodded. “I won’t say a thing.” You walked inside the facility and noticed it was dim and quiet. Everyone must be in their rooms, sleeping or relaxing.

“I’m going to tuck this one into bed,” you explained. Loki took your arm and kissed you on the cheek. He was warm and inviting. You almost swooned to his touch.

“Thank you, again. Spending time with her means a lot to me,” Loki confessed. 

“”Me too,” you agreed. “Maybe that ticket wasn’t for her after all.”

Loki smiled at you, understanding what you mean. “Maybe. Merry Christmas, Y/N.” 

“Merry Christmas, Loki,” you cuddled Nat in your arms just a little tighter and walked away from Loki. You wondered if you would ever see Loki again. You looked back to see Loki watching you leave. You didn’t have to wonder. You hoped you would see him again.


End file.
